Deep Impact "lookback" image of Tempel 1

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD

Deep Impact "lookback" image of Tempel 1

This "lookback" image was captured by Deep Impact's high-resolution imager as it receded from comet Tempel 1 early today. The bright spot is not an incandescent flare; it represents dust in the ejecta curtain spraying out from the comet, which is backlit by the Sun.